Atwater is a city of about 29,237 people in Merced County, California. Today the sun rises at 7:16 AM and sets at 6:20 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:44 PM – 6:36 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:16 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 52m |
| February | 6:52 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 50m |
| March | 7:14 AM | 7:49 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:28 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 09m |
| May | 5:54 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 10m |
| June | 5:42 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 43m |
| July | 5:54 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 29m |
| August | 6:20 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 37m |
| September | 6:45 AM | 7:20 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 7:11 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:53 PM | 11h 16m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:21 PM | 10h 11m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 36m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Atwater
At Atwater the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
Best photo spots near Atwater
23 photo locations lie within 80 km of Atwater. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkCovered Bridges
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeNatural Arches
Canyons
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Atwater is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Tenaya Lake, about 115 km (71 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenaya Lake | Lake | 115 km (71 mi) | 2 |
| Tresidder Peak | Mountain Peak | 118 km (73 mi) | 2 |
| Cathedral Peak | Mountain Peak | 120 km (74 mi) | 2 |
| Waterwheel Falls | Waterfall | 120 km (75 mi) | 2 |
| Budd Lake | Lake | 120 km (75 mi) | 2 |
| LeConte Falls | Waterfall | 120 km (75 mi) | 2 |
| Le Conte Falls | Waterfall | 120 km (75 mi) | 2 |
| California Falls | Waterfall | 121 km (75 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:00 AM – 5:20 AM | 0.3 | 14° |
| March | 4:06 AM – 5:36 AM | 1.5 | 20° |
| April | 1:59 AM – 4:49 AM | 2.8 | 24° |
| May | 12:08 AM – 4:08 AM | 4.0 | 24° |
| June | 10:18 PM – 3:48 AM | 5.5 | 24° |
| July | 10:12 PM – 2:22 AM | 4.2 | 24° |
| August | 9:32 PM – 12:22 AM | 2.8 | 24° |
| September | 8:39 PM – 10:19 PM | 1.7 | 20° |
| October | 7:53 PM – 8:13 PM | 0.3 | 14° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 11% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (59%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.